Stann Creek Teachers Protest Not Getting Increments

Independence Day is a celebration of political freedom and is set aside as a display of patriotism. On Saturday, however, a group of about thirty teachers felt the need to use that day to take to the streets during the Independence Day ceremony to hold a protest at the BTL Park in Dangriga. The intention was to get their message to the government officials who attended that ceremony. Today, Denise Flores-Henry, a teacher who spearheaded the protest, told News Five that teachers need their increments, and the protestors do not feel as if though the matter is being prioritized at the level of the Joint Unions’ Negotiating Team which meets with the government to discuss several concerns on behalf of public officers. News Five’s Marion Ali reports.

 

Marion Ali, Reporting

Bearing placards that addressed their concerns about not getting their increments for 2021 and 2022, and about their struggle with inflation, about thirty teachers from Stann Creek District silently protested the Independence Day ceremony on Saturday in Dangriga.

 

Denise Flores-Henry, Concerned Teacher, Dangriga

“We wanted to voice our views and concerns of what’s happening with the increments that teachers are still waiting for. The key thing that we wanted to share is that the suffering is really to its extreme with teachers and there seem to be no urgency in this administration to try to resolve the issue. Most teachers right now are living on a salary that’s from 2020-21. The only increment – remember our increments were frozen in 2020. We were wondering, okay, why pay us for 23? Why not go 21 then 22? You understand then 23?”

 

The message the teachers wanted to send was that despite government’s consistent declarations of a rapidly growing economy, the reality for teachers is that they have to struggle with inflation on a 2020 salary. Denise Flores-Henry organized and spearheaded the event.

 

Denise Flores-Henry

“I want to give an example. I love eggs. Back then in 2020, a tray of egg was 5. 50, 6. 00. Today with the same salary from 2020, I have to purchase a tray of eggs at 9. 50, right? We’ll look at the cooking oil. The small 123 cooking oil  was 3 75 in 2020.  You buy that now?  It’s 625, 650. Just to show you that the salary that we are still living on does not match the inflation rate and the cost of living. And so the increments that we are fighting for eases, you know, the impact, that heavy impact of inflation on us, the teachers.”

 

Teachers’ increments are not automatic and are earned, and Flores-Henry said that it’s only a percentage of teachers who would not receive increments, based on their performance.

 

Denise Flores-Henry

“The majority of teachers do qualify for the increments. We’re talking about a small number that would not qualify. So the majority of teachers do qualify and are waiting for the increments from 2022. Most teachers have gotten 2023 increment. No teacher has received 2022 or 2021 and that’s the issue.”

 

And while the event was not organized by the Dangriga branch of the Belize National Teachers Union, Flores-Henry is the Dangriga branch president of BNTU and explained that teachers in that district are more vocal about the issues.

 

Marion Ali

“Why is it that only the Dangriga branch or the southern zone, I’ll say southern zone, teachers that protested over the weekend?”

 

Denise Flores-Henry

“Because we’re just a vibrant branch. We have always been trendsetters. You understand? We’re not afraid to speak up. The other branches, you see, it’s all about the leader. You understand? It’s all about the leader. I tend to like action. There is a problem. We’ll find a solution. We need to act. That’s me.”

 

The demonstration went ahead without disrupting the Independence Day ceremony, but the teachers who protested are hoping that they at least got the attention of officials at the Ministry of Education. Flores-Henry says that now with only a 2023 increment, their salaries are not where they ought to be.

 

Denise Flores-Henry

“If they had given us the salary in, um, the increment in 2021, then when we would have gotten another increment in 2022, it would have, that increment would have increased, the amount would have increased, because your salary would have, right.”

 

Today, we contacted the Minister of Education, Francis Fonseca on the teachers’ protest. He is currently away, but he messaged us to say, and we, “we respect their right to protest but even the BNTU knows how much we have worked on this issue and resolved virtually all outstanding issues. If there are individual teachers who have not had their issue resolved they should visit with us at the Ministry of Education so that we can address it,”. We also contacted the BNTU National President, Nadia Caliz, who informed us that this matter is still on the table at the Joint Unions’ Negotiating Team. Caliz explained that the BNTU is quote, waiting on the Cost-Savings Committee to share their findings in November, unquote. She added that for the record, the BNTU has never reneged on the reinstatement of these two increments and that they regularly update their Council Members on the progress.  Marion Ali for News Five.